Santa Cruz locals warn of stir over licences near Bondvoll

NT Reporter Panaji

Villagers of Santa Cruz have threatened to launch an agitation if construction licences issued near Bondvoll Lake are not revoked. The warning came after a meeting with the Member Secretary of the Goa State Wetland Authority.

“As assured by the Wetland Authority chairman, if the matter is not looked into and solved by next week then we will start an agitation in Santa Cruz village similar to Chimbel,” said Inacio Pereira, panch member of the Santa Cruz Village Panchayat.

Arturo D’Souza, chairperson of the Lake Management Committee and a panch member of the Santa Cruz Village Panchayat, said, “We have received information that a big project with 120 FAR has been approved by the TCP Department. It also appears that some changes may have been made to the zoning.”

He said that since this is a catchment area, it is important to protect it from unnecessary activities such as sewage discharge and water contamination. “If this is allowed, it will be very bad for Bondvoll Lake and for Santa Cruz as a whole. People living around the lake depend on clean water in their wells,” said D’Souza.

He said that any builder taking permission to build in the catchment area does so at their own risk. “We have been fighting since 2016 to save Bondvoll Lake, and we will not tolerate this,” he said.

Pereira said the panchayat had first met the Wetland Authority chairman in December after learning about the licence granted for 120 FAR. “I had informed the panchayat that we have protected Bondvoll Lake and would not grant any licence. Despite this, permission was given for a seven-storey building within 150 metres of the lake,” he said.

“I want to tell the people of Calapur that enough is enough. If Chimbel villagers can fight for their lake, then we also have to stand up for our village and our lake,” Pereira said.